Smolensk weather in May

In May, Smolensk sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 74 mm of precipitation across 12.3 wet days and about 15.8 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 54 min at the start of May to 16 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Smolensk's 3rd-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Smolensk's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
4th warmest
Overnight low
9th coldest
Precipitation
74 mm
12.3 wet days
Daylight
15 h 48 min
4:53 AM – 8:43 PM
Cloud cover
64%
3rd clearest
Wind
12 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.1 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Smolensk is city and administrative center of Smolensk Oblast in central Russia.

Density
1,984/km²
people per km²
Founded
~863 CE

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in Smolensk reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1155
2165
3166
4166
5166
6166
7166
8176
9177
10177
11177
12177
13177
14177
15177
16188
17188
18188
19188
20188
21188
22189
23199
24199
25199
26199
27199
28199
29199
301910
312010

How May really feels in Smolensk

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Smolensk weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -8°4210.5117.60.0
Feb-3° / -8°399.79.99.30.0
Mar / -4°389.16.511.50.0
Apr11° / 429.41.613.72.6
May18° / 7412.30.115.85.3
Jun21° / 11°8013016.95.9
Jul23° / 14°9313.5016.56.3
Aug22° / 12°7411.7014.76.3
Sep16° / 609.50.112.54.9
Oct / 6411.31.710.21.7
Nov / -2°481058.20.0
Dec-2° / -6°4110.69.87.10.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34159
44159
54159
64159
74258
84159
94159
104060
114060
123961
133961
144060
154060
163961
173961
184060
194060
204159
214159
224159
234159
244258
254258
264357
274357
284357
294357
304456
314357

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Smolensk gets around 74 mm of rain and snow over 12.3 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 39% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
233
333
434
534
635
735
836
936
1037
1138
1238
1339
1440
1540
1641
1741
1842
1942
2042
2143
2243
2342
2442
2542
2641
2740
2840
2939
3039
3138

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 92% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
110000
210000
39910
49910
59910
69910
79820
89820
99730
109640
119550
129550
139460
149370
159280
169190
179190
1890100
1989110
2088111
2187121
2287121
2387121
2487121
2586131
2685132
2785132
2886122
2985132
3085132
3184133

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3112calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 54 min at the start of May to 16 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 102 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:23 AM to 4:32 AM, and sunset from 8:15 PM to 9:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.95:238:15
214.95:218:17
315.05:198:19
415.15:178:21
515.15:148:23
615.25:128:24
715.35:108:26
815.35:088:28
915.45:068:30
1015.55:048:32
1115.55:028:34
1215.65:018:36
1315.64:598:37
1415.74:578:39
1515.84:558:41
1615.84:538:43
1715.94:528:45
1815.94:508:46
1916.04:488:48
2016.14:478:50
2116.14:458:51
2216.24:448:53
2316.24:428:55
2416.34:418:56
2516.34:398:58
2616.44:388:59
2716.44:379:01
2816.44:359:02
2916.54:349:04
3016.54:339:05
3116.64:329:06

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.1 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.37 kWh/m² to a high of 5.48 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.1 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
84.9Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Smolensk?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.3
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
1.6
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Smolensk for sightseeing.

What to pack for Smolensk in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, Smolensk sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Smolensk in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Smolensk peaks around July 12 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 12UV 6Dec 18UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug5Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low

Air quality in Smolensk in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Smolensk is worst in April — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.9× the cleanest month (January, 4 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1317 µg/m³Jan 114 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan4Good
Feb5Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr18Moderate
May10Good
Jun10Good
Jul12Good
Aug10Good
Sep8Good
Oct6Good
Nov5Good
Dec4Good
Location & terrain

Where is Smolensk?

Smolensk sits at 54.8°N, 32.1°E, 238 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Yartsevo, 52 km away.

Topography around Smolensk

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Smolensk.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Smolensk has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 102 m around an average of 225 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 120 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 153 m.

The land around Smolensk is covered by artificial surfaces (51%) and trees (41%) within 3 km, trees (45%) and grassland (30%) within 16 km, and trees (59%) and grassland (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
102 m
16 km
120 m
80 km
153 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Yartsevo 52 km · Safonovo 84 km · Horki 88 km · Roslavl’ 106 km · Desnogorsk 106 km · Orsha 110 km · Krychaw 120 km · Vitebsk 126 km

Russia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 32% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$17,547
2025
Happiness
5.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
76%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
6.8
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
12
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 521
Religion
other Christian 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Smolensk (54.7783°, 32.0509°, elevation 238 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).